Cheesy Cabbage, Leek, and Potato Bake

 

 

  OK, I know I say this all the time, but seriously, this is one of the most delicious things I've made in quite a long time. One of my favorite things is to take a recipe and then springboard it into something of my own. And that's exactly what I've done here!

 I recently discovered a foodie and cookbook author by the name of Amy Sheppard, and I literally want to eat every single thing she makes. When I saw a tiktok video of her making a cheesy cabbage and leek dish, I knew it would immediately land on my short list of recipes to try. She originally described it as being the perfect side dish for your Christmas Dinner to be served with a roast chicken or beef, but I think it sounds more like a St Patrick's Day recipe. Clearly, it screams to be served with a big ol' St Patrick's day ham or a big honkin' corned beef brisket, dontcha think?! Cheesy cabbage leeks.. how could you go wrong? But then I thought, wait, it needs potatoes. Can't have an Irish meal without potatoes, now can we? I think not! To be fair, she did serve hers with some fabulous roasted potatoes on the side, but I wanted the potatoes to be right in the dish with the leeks and cabbage.  

    Side note..... Most recipes using leeks direct you to discard the tough green ends, but that's a big fat waste of food, if you ask me. Those greens are perfectly edible and absolutely delicious! They just need a little extra cooking time, that's all (much like collard greens or kale.) So I figured, well, I'm about to boil the potatoes anyway...  why not braise the greens right along with them? And while I'm at it, why not use broth instead of water for more flavor? And there we have it.

  Anyway, the rest of the recipe just sort of fell into place after that, again taking inspiration from Amy Sheppard Food (seriously look her up on any social media. You'll be glad you did!). It's just a classic Mornay Sauce with the addition of some herbs and a little mustard. Add a crushed cracker topping and you have the most fabulous comforting side dish you've ever tasted. Serve it up with your St Patrick's Day meal, and yes, definitely your roast beef or chicken dinner. I promise you'll get rave reviews! Thank you for the inspiration, Miss Amy! This one is definitely a keeper! 

 

 

 

1 1/2 lbs small baby red potatoes, cut in halves or quarters

1 large leek

2 (15oz) cans chicken or vegetable broth

1 small head green cabbage, roughly chopped

4 tbs butter 

4 tbs flour

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

8oz Swiss cheese, shredded

3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from the stem

5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1 tbs Dijon, brown, or any favorite prepared mustard 

a big pinch each of salt and pepper 

about 15 Ritz crackers 

 

 Cut the tough green ends from the leek (set the white end aside). Rinse well to remove any sand or grit. Slice the leek greens into small slices, then add to a large shallow pan along with the quartered potatoes and one can of broth. Cover and cook on high until the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes and greens are tender. Remove to a large casserole dish. 

 While the potatoes and greens are braising, remove the root tip from the white end of the leek, rinse layers of any sand or grit, then slice. Using the same pan that you used to cook the potatoes, add the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chopped cabbage and sliced whites of the leeks. Stir and saute for about 5 minutes or until the cabbage begins to soften. Stir in flour. Continue to stir and saute for about 2 minutes, then add the other can of broth. It should begin to thicken fairly quickly. Now add the cream, milk, cheese, herbs, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Pour cheesy mixture over potatoes and leek greens. Gently stir to combine. Now sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the top. Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes after removing from oven. Serve with boiled ham, corned beef, pork chops, or any favorite roast dinner. 

Tips:

 Since I used baby potatoes, there was no need to peel them. But you can easily use whatever potatoes you have on hand and just peel them. You could even use up leftover boiled potatoes or "boilies" as my Dad used to call them. 

Don't have fresh basil or thyme? Use dried! Or you could even use poultry seasoning blend.  Use any herbs you like! You could even add a pinch of caraway or celery seeds. Don't have any herbs at all? Just leave 'em out! It won't be exactly the same, but it'll still be delish! 

If you'd like to serve it as a main dish instead of a side, feel free to add some diced ham or chicken to make it a complete one dish casserole. 

Btw, if you're feeling creative, you can omit the potatoes and toss the whole thing with some cooked elbow pasta, then top with grated Parmesan cheese. It would be like a variation on mac and cheese!

 

 

Marshmallow Frosted Pistachio Bars

 I recently hosted a little get together with a few of my family and friends to watch the movie, Wicked. 

Now, unless you live in a cave, you likely already know that Wicked is about the witches from The Wizard of Oz, which clearly means that my menu had to be green and pink. I mean, obviously. 

 For my pink "Glinda the Good" dessert, I made little strawberry cheese cake mousse cups, which were pretty fabulous, I must say. And for my green "Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West" dessert, I made these cute little pistachio squares. And guess what!?! They were were an immediate hit! 

 Crispy chewy pistachio cookie bars covered with fluffy pillowy marshmallow frosting. What's not to love? And upon tasting them, my sister said "I'm gonna need this recipe." So here it is! 

They're SO simple! You just mix and bake, nothing crazy. Just a quick and easy recipe, and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry anyway. Perfect, right? 

 So, if you haven't seen Wicked, you absolutely should. It's literally perfect. And even if you're not having a wickedly swankified Ozmopolitan party, you should still make these cookie bars. I know you'll love 'em!

They're WONDERFUL!

For the Bars:

1 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 (3oz)boxes instant pistachio pudding mix
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt 

1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pistachios


Preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a 9 x 13" baking dish with baking spray or parchment paper .
Cream together butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes on high speed until fluffy. 

Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add pudding mix, baking soda, flour, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. 

Add in white chocolate chips and gently stir into the dough.
Spread evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. 

They will be soft in the middle and slightly crispy around the edges, just like a cookie. 

For the Marshmallow Frosting:

1 cup butter, room temperature
14 oz Marshmallow Fluff
2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy and well mixed.
Gently mix in fluff and vanilla extract until mixed well.

 

When the bars are completely cooled, spread with frosting. 

Top with chopped pistachios, if desired. 

Cut into bars. 

Tips:

Be careful not to over bake the bars, otherwise they'll turn out hard and crumbly, rather than soft and chewy. 

If your frosting is a little too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. Frosting can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. 

You can easily cut this recipe in half, and bake in an 8x8 square baking pan. The bake time remains the same!

 

Btw... I forgot to give credit where credit is due! The cookie bar recipe is from a blog called Eat Dessert Snack, and the frosting recipe is from a blog called Lil' Luna. You should check out their websites as well! Great then.

 

Very Strawberry Brownies

               

  Here's a quick and easy dessert recipe to make for your Valentine. Very cute, very pink, and yes, VERY strawberry! Now, I know you're probably thinking "if they're not chocolate, why are they still called brownies?" Well, it's the brownie TEXTURE we're going for here. They start out with a regular cake mix, but then when you pour the glaze over the still warm pan, it kind of sinks in a little bit, giving them a more brownie like texture. 

  So here's the thing.. when I was first looking at this recipe, there's were no extracts or dried strawberries, and I worried that it might wind up tasting like that artificial strawberry flavor (you know, like strawberry quik?) So I decided to amp it up a little. I saw another version of it that included the strawberry extract... but the aha moment was when I added the strawberry powder to it. BOOM. Huge strawberry flavor!! I thought "Why am I not adding this to every strawberry thing ever?" Definitely a game changer. 

 I made them for a group of friends at a recent party I hosted. One of my friends said they're VERY STRAWBERRY so that became the name! 

 Make them for your Valentine to show them how much you love them and they'll love you right back!

 

 

 

Brownies
1 box strawberry cake mix
2 large eggs
1/3 cup salted butter, melted
1 tsp strawberry extract (optional, but recommended)
1 tbs freeze dried strawberry powder (optional, but recommended)

Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs strawberry preserves
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs cream

Heat oven to 350F.
Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches hanging over the edge. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine all brownie ingredients. Batter will be very thick. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake about 20 minuted or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.
Let it cool slightly, but leave them in the pan.
Mix all glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over warm brownies.
Cool or chill completely.
Using the parchment overhang like a sling, lift the entire batch out of the pan before cutting into 9 large squares or 16 small ones.

Garnish with a strawberry on top of each one as shown, if desired.

Tips:
The extract and freeze dried strawberries are optional, but seriously they made all the difference for the recipe. Thats what makes them VERY strawberry! In fact, I don't think I'd ever make this recipe without them. You can easily find them on Amazon.
Also, you can double the whole thing and bake in a 9x13 pan. 

Btw. I saw a tiktok video with this recipe and she called them "pinkies", but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Hot Dog Stew

 

 Ok, I know this might sound weird, but just go with me on this one. 

I was in the mood to make something homey and comforting, so I did a quick inventory of my fridge and pantry. The first thing I noticed was a package of ground beef. That's a good start. I continued browsing my pantry and found cans of baked beans, which made me think of Trisha Yearwood's Baked Bean Casserole. Great! I'll make that. But that calls for bacon. Hmm... I'm out of bacon.. what else do I have? AHA! a package of hot dogs! I thought "well, it's not very likely that I'll be grilling hot dogs any time soon, and you can't go wrong with franks and beans." Perfect. From there, I just sort of used Miss Trisha's recipe as a guide, while not really using exactly the same ingredients. I didn't want it to be too sweet or too spicy, so I omitted the brown sugar, and kept the seasonings simple. And this is where I landed!

 After it was finished, I thought, "ok, now, how am I gonna serve this?" Cheddar cheese and sour cream on top? Well, I had it in my mind that it should be a stew, (NOT a chili), which made me think of my Mother's chicken stew that we used to pour over mashed potatoes. Great idea!

 The result was exactly what I wanted. It was simple and warm and hearty and satisfying. It also makes for great leftovers. It's a great mid-week meal, and it easily feeds a crowd. And it was easy as throwing things into a pan.

 Sometimes the best recipes are the ones you just come up with on the spot, dontcha think? Feel free to take this one in any direction with whatever you have in your pantry! Enjoy!

A few glugs of oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, any color, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg 8 hot dogs, sliced into coins
1 can pork and beans
1 small can Rotel tomatoes
1-2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 tbs ketchup
2 tbs mustard
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cold water

Mashed potatoes for serving


In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat, then sauté onions, peppers, and garlic until they soften.
Add ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. After it browns, add the hot dog slices. Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except flour and water, and gently stir until well combined. Simmer for a  good 15-20 minutes.
To thicken it, make a slurry with the flour and cold water. Add to pan and gently stir to combine. Simmer for another few minutes until thickened.
Serve over a big pile of fluffy mashed potatoes. 

 

 

Tips:

As stated above, you can clearly go in any direction with whatever you have in your pantry. You can also play around with the flavors. Want it to be more like a soup? Add some chicken broth. Want it to be more like a chili?  Add some tomato sauce and ground cumin. Want some heat? Add some chopped jalapeno peppers. Or crushed red pepper flakes. Or cayenne pepper. And for a serving variation, instead of mashed potatoes, serve it over a pile of rice, or just in a bowl as it is! It will all work!